New house layout

[darien87]

So here's how I'm planning on setting up the system in the new house. they haven't built it yet, so I've got some flexibility in how I have the place pre-wired. The whole downstairs is pretty much just one giant room.

The only real issue if with sub placement. I had originally planned to have the 15" sub up against the right wall kind of near the TV and my 12" sub at the back of the room behind the couch. But due to the enormous size of the 15" sub, the wife isn't too happy about it being in the middle of the room. So I think it will have to go to the back of the room behind the couch as it is in the picture.

The sub has an 15" woofer on the right side and an 18" PR to the left of that and then another 18" PR to the left of that. I'll try angling the box so that the woofer and left-most PR are at angles to the 2 walls they will be facing. I don't think I can get the sub more than 1-1/2' to 2' away from the wall though.

What do you guys think? Will this sub placement work?

 

[j_garcia]

What does "short wall" mean. Short as in extends into the room or is it a half wall? I'd try to get the big sub into that corner by the short wall.

 

[indulger]

Show your wife all the pretty pictures in the members gallery of the subs with pictures and plants on top of them. Tell her to think of it as a piece of furniture. See if that may change her mind.

 

[darien87]

What does "short wall" mean. Short as in extends into the room or is it a half wall? I'd try to get the big sub into that corner by the short wall.

Both. The stairway is actually behind that wall. So it extends into the room 9-1/2 feet and it starts at 4 feet high and slopes up at an angle like the stairs do.

I might be able to squeeze the sub in there, but it would be tight. There's basically just enough room for the TV and front speakers. I don't know if I have the room for that sub also. Wouldn't the bass be too boomy with that sub in the corner like that?

 

[j_garcia]

That's what the EQ is for

What's under the stairs? Have them leave that open and push the sub back behind the system a little bit. That's how my parent's place they just built is - there's a big storage area under the stairs adjacent to the laundry room. I presume those stairs go UP from this room.

 

[darien87]

Here's how your proposed layout would look.

There is indeed a storage area under the stairs. I don't think it would work to try and tuck the back there though. With there being a sub or PR on 3 of the cabinets 4 sides something would be firing directly at a wall. But I think with all of the speakers and the AV rack they will all just barely fit. If I can find a rack that is 54" wide that will help a little bit, but it would be extremely tight. If anything, I might have to hang the left front speaker out past the short wall a little bit.

It should be do-able though. I just didn't think it would be advisable to have the sub directly in the corner like that.

 

[MidnightSensi]

It's hard to say before you start testing in there. True that you get a lot of corner gain if you tuck into one, but in some cases that is helpful, others it isn't.

What about using the subwoofer as your center channel stand? Then get rid of that equipment rack (which shouldn't be in your field of view anyways) and do a rack under the stairwell.

 

[j_garcia]

I was going to say something similar: move the gear into the storage area and then you don't have an issue with the rack. The way you have it now, with it angled toward the walls, you will likely get a lot of cancellation, and you will also get a lot of corner gain as well. It might be a tough sub to locate and you probably won't be able to dial in location and all until the sub is actually in the room.

Since it is a basement, I think you are already going to have bass issues as it is, and you might actually need that corner gain even with a sub like that. Bass behaves different when you are surrounded by dirt and concrete.

 

[darien87]

I was going to say something similar: move the gear into the storage area and then you don't have an issue with the rack. The way you have it now, with it angled toward the walls, you will likely get a lot of cancellation, and you will also get a lot of corner gain as well. It might be a tough sub to locate and you probably won't be able to dial in location and all until the sub is actually in the room.

Since it is a basement, I think you are already going to have bass issues as it is, and you might actually need that corner gain even with a sub like that. Bass behaves different when you are surrounded by dirt and concrete.

It's not the basement, it's the first floor of the house. Upstairs is where the bedrooms are.

I was hoping to have this all figured out before we move in, that way I can have the wires for the subs already set up so that they'll be hidden.

So whatever corner I put the sub in would it be better to have it square with the corner? I assumed you wouldn't want to do that, because it would have one of the PR's firing directly into a wall. Wouldn't that be bad? I assumed that angling it in the corner would be better. That way the PR would be firing at the wall at an angle instead of being square and having the wave reflect directly back at the PR. Or does that not matter?

 

[darien87]

It's hard to say before you start testing in there. True that you get a lot of corner gain if you tuck into one, but in some cases that is helpful, others it isn't.

What about using the subwoofer as your center channel stand? Then get rid of that equipment rack (which shouldn't be in your field of view anyways) and do a rack under the stairwell.

That would be nice, but the sub is too tall. The current TV stand I have is 24" tall and even that is too tall. I'm looking at racks that are about 20" tall to replace the one I have. With that sub being about 30" tall with the casters, it's just too tall to use as a center stand. The TV itself is 52" wide, so even eliminating the rack altogether won't save me much room. But it might be better to put the AV rack on the right side of the room so it's out of your line of sight when you're watching a movie.

Good idea though.

 

[j_garcia]

Well, since it isn't a basement, you will probably need some bass traps for the corners. I'd also put it on a Subdude/Gramma once you get it located, not on the casters. It is tough to say how it will sound in that room - heavy curtains on the window at the back of the room will go a long way to helping the acoustics of this room.

 

[darien87]

Well, since it isn't a basement, you will probably need some bass traps for the corners. I'd also put it on a Subdude/Gramma once you get it located, not on the casters. It is tough to say how it will sound in that room - heavy curtains on the window at the back of the room will go a long way to helping the acoustics of this room.

Dude, the thing weighs about 200lbs!! No casters?!?

So then, between putting it at the front right corner or the back left corner, which do you think is the better option?

 

[j_garcia]

Probably the back corner like you show it. That area will be easier to work with than the front, and treatments will not be as visible.

One good thing about my 15" sub is, even though it is huge, since it is a cylinder, it doesn't weigh a ton.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...The sub has an 15" woofer on the right side and an 18" PR to the left of that and then another 18" PR to the left of that. I'll try angling the box so that the woofer and left-most PR are at angles to the 2 walls they will be facing. I don't think I can get the sub more than 1-1/2' to 2' away from the wall though.

What do you guys think? Will this sub placement work?

That window on the back wall, how low does it go? Can you place the sub centered on that wall below the window?

 

[darien87]

That window on the back wall, how low does it go? Can you place the sub centered on that wall below the window?

I'm not sure. I'd have to check. Why put the sub there? I had originally planned on putting a table I have there to put the back surround speakers on, but I guess I could just get stands for them.